Holiday Artisan Faire Sunday December 5th

Good Evening everyone! Can you believe that its almost Christmas?! Haven't even started shopping for gifts yet? Don't know what to give that Mom who has everything? How about shopping at the Artisan Faire next Sunday in Half Moon Bay? I and many other local artists will be offering unique and one of a kind items for that special person. This year I will be offering some very different pieces for sale. How about spending the day on the coast next sunday? Shop all day and then take a load off, relax and have dinner at one of our many very fine resturants. How great is that? The Artisan Faire is located at Studio 4 Pilates, 213 San Mateo road, Half Moon Bay. Time: 11am to 4:00pm. No entry fee. I hope to see you there!

Queen Of Dreams

Good Evening everyone! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Can you believe that I actually cooked a whole turkey this year?! I have cooked turkey parts many times but never the whole thing with stuffing and all the works. It was just the four of us this year. I, the hubby and the two dogs. And you bet they made sure to get as many turkey treats as possible. Dinner turned out yummy-if I do say so myself. I have also been busy making items for the Artisan faire in Half Moon Bay on December 5th. Stay tuned for more about this next week. Another thing that I have been working on is my December class. I really wanted to do something different for a change. I've had an idea about how to make a dressform doll ever since I won some antique doll heads on ebay almost two years ago. I thought that this would be a special class to teach for Christmas. This class is a weird synthesis of assemblage and doll making. It will also mark my return to some form of doll making. I call this doll the Queen of Dreams because attached to her skirt are symbols of some of my hopes and dreams for my art. You can see the full doll below.

I'm pretty happy with this first sample. However I need to shorten the working time for this class. I have some ideas of how to do this which will make the wire skirt form a little neater in the bargin. You can see that the wire form is a little uneven. Even so I kind of like it. It suggests age and history. I really love the fabric that I used on the doll. Its a remnant of a dress dated about 1900 to 1910 and loaded with beads and sequins.

So what do you think about my little dream Queen? I'd love to hear your opinion.

Altered Books Club swap #4

Greetings everyone! Well tonight is ABC club and we are onto the fourth book.This time I chose to create two much simpler spreads. I thought that it was most appropriate for my theme. This month I have Jolene's book about "Traveling People". Most everyone that has altered a spread before me has chosen the subject of Gypsies. And while I'm sure that Gypsies are fascinating people and well worth studying, when I think of "Traveling People" what comes to my mind is the American Pioneer. Probably because I am of pioneering stock. This spread began with an old photo passed down to me of my grandmother's family in the Homestead. Now the family story passed down is that this land was acquired in the second Oklahoma Land Rush of 1891. That's kind of cool so I decided to base this first spread on this picture. Now you must also understand that at the same time that I started work on this spread Ancestry.com just happened to offer me "a 14 day free trial"! How did they know? I'm sure you can see where this has gone. Yes I now have an ancestry.com account, have spent hours tracing my family tree and visited several grave sites in Modesto looking for more information. The good news is that I did trace two family lines back to the dates they came to this country from England at about 1635 or so. Anyway to get back to the spread I have collaged a very cool picture of a wagon train over both pages. I really wanted the viewer to feel the emptiness of the country. I also wanted to convey how self sufficient the pioneers were and the hardships they endured to find a better life. In particular I was fascinated by the woman's role. So to give the viewer just a little taste of what a woman's life was like on the overland trail I have added a little booklet with 8 amazing pictures and 6 woman's pioneering facts. You can see the cover below.

Booklet cover showing a wagon train. Can you imagine the dirt and dust everything must have been coated with? Yeach!

One of the interesting little tidbits I found that I have to say I never really thought about. It reads:

Toilet facilities along the trail were nothing more than communal ditches. The full skirts worn by most pioneer woman acted as shields or " curtains of modesty" for this purpose. Now you know why they continued to wear long skirts instead of the more comfortable and convenient bloomer outfit! Gack!

My little booklet fits behind my grandmother's homestead which I have made into a pocket for that purpose.

I also included a quote from one of the pioneering books that I read. I believe that its from one of the woman's diaries:

It reads:" We finally reached our new home. Out here on the lonely prairie we reached to the stars through the wilderness."

You can see my last spread above. Again I wanted the viewer to feel the breathe and emptiness of the prairie. I also wanted to emphasize how lonely it must have been for a woman particularly a woman alone miles away from the nearest town or homestead. The text is from one of my favorite Louis Lamour westerns. It reads: The wind whipped her skirt, and she saw one of the silent riders of the wind (a tumbleweed) roll by not very far away.

Maybe...off to the south somewhere...maybe there was somebody down there as lonely as she was, somebody whose thoughts reached out into the emptiness of the night, longing, yearning... alone. By the way 15% percent of the Homesteaders were woman alone either single or widowed. If your husband died along the trail a woman was expected to continue.

One of the things I realized after all the research I did for these spreads was that feminism had its roots right here. As woman traveled west it was necessary for them to step out of their traditional role for the first time. For the first time a woman was expected to do much more than just cook and clean. They also tended the stock, harnessed the wagon teams, and even branded their own cattle .

I feel proud that I am the ancestor of such brave and resilient people. I feel humbled by their strength and determination. I only hope that in some small way I can live up to the hardships they endured so that their children and their children's children could find a better life.

Colony of Coastside Artists Open Studios this weekend!

Greetings Everyone! This Saturday C.Andrews Studio will be participating in a studio tour with the Colony of Coastside Artists group. There will be 6 studios participating in the tour with some of the studios open both Saturday and Sunday. At C.Andrews studio Ingrid, Maria and I will be there all day to greet you! The event starts at 11:00am and goes until 4:00 pm. Come by and get a map to the other locations, have a yummy and buy some art. This is the perfect time to buy unique gifts items at great prices for all your favorite friends and family members. Below you will see just a few of the pieces that I will be selling along with Domino and shrink art jewelry!

She came back home. Aubergine Dreams

Skull de los Muertos

A heaping spoonful of mortality

Vincent Van Skull

The Spirit of Romance

Bottled "Gin"

And this is just some of the items that I will be including on Saturday. Just think of what Ingrid and Maria might bring!

See you at the studio.

Classes for November

Greetings Everyone! Can you believe that its November and that are heading into the Holidays already? In any case I am definately late posting my November schedules. Above you can see the schedule for C.Andrews studio. You should be able to enlarge the picture by clicking on it. Here are the class details for the month of November.

Sunday November 7th Class: Bottled Spirits Instructor: Connie Andrews Description: On a foggy day I was walking along the beach on one of my morning rambles. As usual I was beach combing for shells that I had picked up a hundred times before and didn’t need. But this time instead of a shell I found something else. As I drew closer I could see it was a bottle half buried in the sand. I dug it out. It was crusted with barnacles, small shells and ringed with rusted metal. As I turned it around I noticed a clear area where I could peer through the hazy glass. But wait something looked back at me! What will your spirit be? Will it be a fairy of dreams offering you 3 wishes? Or will it be an imp of mischief? Items to bring: A pair of scissors, paintbrushes and small non-melting items like charms or beads. **Note: We will be heating diamond glaze so if you are easily susceptible to smells this class may be difficult for you to take. Time: 10:00 to 3:00pm- Lunch break at 1:00 Fee: $55.00 If you wish to sign up for this class please email Connie at connie@isbjorn.com

Saturday Nov. 13th Colony of Coastside Artists Studio Tour and sale Description: This is a Studio tour in conjunction with the Colony of Coastside Artists. This is your chance to buy Art from your favorite artists before the Holiday season starts! We will be offering all our newest stuff so come by and say hello, have a snack and take a load off before the Holiday madness starts. Participants: Connie, Ingrid, Maria. Free entry Time: 11:00 to 4:00pm

More on this event to come!

Sunday November 14th Class: Beeswax collage Instructor: Ingrid Pomeroy Description: By popular demand, I will be teaching a beeswax collage on an 8 x 10 canvas with a Steampunk theme, or vintage theme, if you prefer. I have attached a few examples of beeswax and canvas collages. Here are the details Items to bring: All materials will be supplied Time: 1:00 to 4:00pm Fee: $50.00 (sweet treats included) If you wish to sign up for this class please email Ingrid at ipomeroy@peoplepc.com

Saturday November 20th **** Maria’s Double Class****** Class Photo Walk in the Princeton Warehouse District Instructor: Maria Ontiveros Description: Meet at C.Andrews Studio for a one hour guided photo walk in the neighborhood. We'll focus on interesting still life possibilities, as well as potential portrait locations. Maria will be available to answer your questions about appropriate camera settings and how they will impact your finished photograph. Afterward, we'll go back to the studio for a cup of coffee and a review of the morning's photographs. Items to bring: your digital camera (point and shoot or DSLR). Time: 9:30 am- 11am Fee: $15.00

Class: Christmas Art Journal Description: Working with great new papers from Kaiser Craft of Australia, we'll create an art journal to record ten favorite holiday memories from Christmases past or present. Items to bring: a pair of scissors, but the following could be helpful if you have them: glue; bone folder; heat tool; and dark green and/or dark brown ink for edging. If you want to bring photos to include, they should be small (2" circles or squares). Time: 12 noon - 4:00 pm Fee: $45. To sign up for one or both of Maria classes please email Maria at rinda1961@yahoo.com Sunday November 21st Class: Collage Challenge II Instructor: Connie Andrews Description: Are you up for another challenge? Tee Hee! Yes I’m doing it again! In this class you will be creating a 9 X 12 collage on the subject of my choice (oh the power!). But you won’t know the subject until the day of the class! The main focus of this class will be visualization and jump starting your imagination. You can choose any background you want with the materials that I bring. I will also supply the images. Don’t worry, I will have all the instructions with me in case you forget our earlier beginning collage techniques. Items to bring: Please bring a pair of scissors, paintbrushes, matte Gel medium and any embellishments you would like. All other materials will be supplied. Time: 10:00 to 4:00pm Lunch break at 12:00 Fee: $55.00 *****Note: This Challenge is for intermediate to advanced collage students only or students with prior collage experience***** To sign up for this class please email Connie at connie@isbjorn.com

Wednesday November 23rd Class: Christmas Cards Instructor: Cindy McCool Description: You know you have been dying to send handmade cards for Christmas but just never seem to get around to it. So come join Cindy and see how simple, yet elegant handmade Christmas cards can be. Now is the time to get started and have a fresh batch of handmade cards ready to share with your list of special people. In this electronic age, people cherish mail and handmade cards are always a plus in anybody’s mail box. Time: 6:00 to 9:00pm Fee: $25.00 To sign up for this class please email Cindy at cindy@mccoolmgt.com

I also will be teaching at two other locations for the month of November and here are the details: Saturday November 6th Where: Scrap-it in Santa Cruz Class: Bottled Spirits Description: On a foggy day I was walking along the beach on one of my morning rambles. As usual I was beach combing for shells that I had picked up a hundred times before and didn’t need. But this time instead of a shell I found something else. As I drew closer I could see it was a bottle half buried in the sand. I dug it out. It was crusted with barnacles, small shells and ringed with rusted metal. As I turned it around I noticed a clear area where I could peer through the hazy glass. But wait something looked back at me! What will your spirit be? Will it be a fairy of dreams offering you 3 wishes? Or will it be an imp of mischief? Items to bring: A pair of scissors, paintbrushes and small non-melting items like charms or beads. **Note: We will be heating diamond glaze so if you are easily susceptible to smells this class may be difficult for you to take. Time: 11:00 to 4:00 Fee: $55.00 Class limit: 5 If you would like to sign up for this class please call Scrap-it at 831 475-2380 Saturday November 20th Where: Art Max in Seaside Class: Collage Challenge II Description: Are you up for another challenge? Yes I’m doing it again! In this class you will be creating a 9 X 12 collage on the subject of my choice. But you won’t know the subject until the day of the class! The main focus of this class will be visualization and jump starting your imagination. You can choose any background you want with the materials that I bring. I will also supply the images. Don’t worry, I will have all the instructions with me in case you forget our earlier beginning collage techniques. Items to bring: Please bring a pair of scissors, paintbrushes, matte Gel medium and any embellishments you would like. All other materials will be supplied. Time: 11:00-4:00 Fee: $55.00 *****Note: This Challenge is for intermediate to advanced collage students only or students that have some collage experience***** To sign up for this class please email Connie at connie@isbjorn.com Class size limit=7

Well that's the line up for the month of November. It's going to be another wonderful month full of classes that can rival anything you can find at an art retreat. C.Andrews Studio is located at 103-1 Harvard st., Princeton-by-the-Sea -4 miles north of Half Moon Bay. How about a mini vacation? Take a class, take a walk on the beach, have a nice dinner at one of our excellent resturants here on the coast and drive home with a glow. You deserve it!

See you soon.

I'm out of my Skull!

I just had to show everyone some of the incredible skulls created this weekend at the last skeleton Portraits class. Aren't they great? I couldn't believe the range. We had the delicate Victorian skull you see above...

This great skull scream...

Good Queen Skullabeth I...

And Frieda Skuhlo. The two skull monkeys are cute (not!)

What more could you ask out of life than a good skull?